BPA Update: Victory in WA, Other News

from Safer States
More than 200 scientific studies have linked Bisphenol-A (BPA) to known health effects including impaired brain and reproductive development in unborn babies, miscarriage in pregnant women, diabetes, obesity and cancer. Populations that are particularly vulnerable to BPA are infants, children and pregnant women.
Here at Safer States, we are working to support efforts toward eliminating BPA and other toxic chemicals from our lives.
Today, we have several updates on the BPA front.
Washington State
The Governor of Washington State signed a bill into law which will ban bisphenol-A from baby bottles, sippy cups, children's dishware and sports bottles.

The law will take effect by July 2011, with the sports bottle ban going into effect a year later. Washington is only the second state, after Connecticut, to outlaw BPA in sports bottles. Washington is now the fourth state to pass a BPA law. You can keep apprised of what states and regions are banning BPA by checking out our BPA fact page.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
This week, the EPA announced that they will take a look at BPA and its affect on the environment. This news, in conjunction with the FDA taking a look at BPA, is encouraging and shows that the federal government is taking the threat of BPA seriously.

"We share FDA’s concern about the potential health impacts from BPA. Both EPA and FDA, and many other agencies are moving forward to fully assess the environmental and health impacts to ensure that the full range of BPA’s possible impacts are examined."
-Steve Owens, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances

Wisconsin Company Removes BPA from receipts
Last year, Science News released findings that BPA was being discovered on register receipts. This was not only of concern because of the ubiquity of register receipts, but also because the form that the BPA takes is unbound and free to be transferred into food and our bodies.
This month, Appleton — a paper company in Wisconsin — was the first company in the nation to announce a move toward BPA-free register papers by labeling their papers as "BPA-Free". They removed bishpenol-a from their paper in 2006 as health concerns about the chemical began to be made public.
BPA bans in Europe
Denmark will be introducing a temporary ban on BPA in food packaging for young children. Whether the ban stays in effect is contingent on further research.
The French government is moving toward a BPA ban in baby bottles. The French Senate voted last week to ban BPA, and now the bill will move through the legislature.
Waiting for Maryland
We are anticipating news from Maryland any day. Their legislature has voted to ban BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups. The expected signature from the Governor should come soon.
Further Reading
Bad chemistry: The poison in the plastic that surrounds us. The Independent, 03/31/10.
New research finds BPA in plastic, water — and in all of us. Rodale, 03/31/10.